11.03.2020
This morning I was taking a stroll through Marburg before going to work. With the gentle spring sun and the birds chirping again after winter, I felt called to let my heart decide where I wanted to go. I walked up a staircase whose best days were over for what seemed like forever ago, surrounded by large gardens with trees and opulent villas. My goal was to climb to the top to enjoy the view over the city.
On one of the steps, an earthworm crawled its way forward across the ground, still wet from the early morning rain. At first, I felt the urge to help it cross the path but found that I only scared him. Since there was no one around, I hoped that he would not be trampled to death, so I decided to just kneel down and watch him a little bit. It had a little ring in the middle, as if it was repairing a crack. The gentle movements were soothing and slowed me down. I began to really absorb my surroundings. On my way up, a feeling of excitement and a touch of exploration came over me. I had never been to this place before.
The first charm that caught my eye was a small house in the shadow of a church on the top. It had a large garden with small fields for gardening, all observed by the statue of a meditating frog. On the balcony I spotted a ginger cat sitting on a table. After a while she snug back in through the open balcony door. I started dreaming of being the owner of this house. Sitting inside, with the breeze of the open door, enjoying a relaxing morning and looking at my beautiful garden. As I walked on, I saw a raven on one of the church chimneys, confidently hopping around the path I was walking on. I noticed a hint of authority and wit in his way of moving. Symbolically ravens stand for the mystical, a call to explore one’s own inner darkness, an omen and a clear and sharp intuition.
Germany is not a culture that embraces the mystical or diving into the shadow aspects of the psyche. Germany is above all a hardened culture dominated by people who have done so as a coping mechanism. Just ask anyone who is not a native to share with you their view of Germans as a collective. Overall, the people here are like emotional illiterates, deeply rooted in the shame of their ancestors. It’s no secret that I have a certain reluctance to live here as a sensitive person, but today, as I explored this part of the old town, a fresh and much lighter perspective came to my mind. The rich history of Europe is still very much alive in the walls of the many ancient houses and buildings. Even though society was mainly dominated by a heavy, shame-based Christian culture, I can see something more in it.
When I walk through the small alleys of the quiet old town on the mountain, I also sense a belief in magic and symbolism. Thoughts about herbology and alchemy schools come to my mind. After living in the USA for a year, I began to rediscover the beauty of these places, especially those that are not crowded and quiet and are not the center of attention. I remember how the deep heritage and the magic that was inherent in it hit me when I returned. And it felt so beautiful, so non-resistant.
So I want to start viewing Germany through the lense of someone who is not surrounded by it all the time, a fresh start. And so, I am slowly starting to appreciate some aspects of Germany. Like the forests, or the castles that can be found everywhere. The freedom to go explore places. The cozy Christmas markets in the Old Town of any smaller German city. Its especially the forests that conquer my heart. My dream is to go visit a truly ancient forest like the Schwarzwald or one in the alp regions.
As a take-away I want to share a recipe of mine: a vegan version of my favorite cake, a carrot cake. Along with a call to approach the known with a fresh perspective, to swap the old pair of sunglasses for a pair of newer, less tinted ones.
